Contrary to its arrival almost five years after
Ash, its brief duration of 26 minutes, and the shorter and spacier qualities of its songs,
Spell 31 bears absolutely no indication that
Lisa-Kaindé and
Naomi Diaz are short on inspiration or have less to say with their third album. Still working closely with XL label boss and producer
Richard Russell, the sisters continue to make a serene and highly appealing kind of pop music informed by their Afro-Cuban heritage.
Naomi's array of percussion, including lapping batá drums, all played in steady, unhurried, and economical fashion -- and supplemented at times by drums from
Russell -- remains the foundation. The combination of the rhythms and the unsinkable buoyancy of the Diazes' vocals make these songs sound like nothing else. Even when they update
Black Flag's "Rise Above," the result is unlike the original beyond just the lyrics and attitude. The Diazes slow the 1981 punk defiance anthem to a prowl and deliver the verses and chorus like poised taunts instead of desperate threats (with Trinidadian
Berwyn knuckling up in a guest verse). The joyous, hip-swaying "Sister 2 Sister" is at once an inviting celebration and intimate reconciliation and renewal of the Diazes' intimate bond, flashing back to "Dancing in front of the mirror, singing along to
Shakira," then advancing years later to "Washing our souls in the river," referencing their breakout single. Another direct link to the duo's debut is that this too samples recordings by their late father, percussionist
Angá Diaz, his fingers heard dancing on skins across both "Rise Above" and the finale it precedes, "Los Muertos," a commemoration full of gratitude. Additional featured guests
Pa Salieu and
Jorja Smith are so compatible with the sisters that they sound like family. On the levitating "Lavender & Roses,"
Smith falls into place with such ease that she could be mistaken for a triplet. ~ Andy Kellman